A New York man was convicted of cyberstalking, attempted kidnapping of a Charlotte woman. He got 15 years in prison

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A New York man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Wednesday for cyberstalking a woman in Charlotte and attempting to kidnap her.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Russell J. Martini, now 47, sent repeated harassing and threatening communications in April and May 2022 to an individual identified in court documents as “Jane Doe.”

Documents show Jane Doe knew Martini and had obtained a protection order in New York that prohibited the defendant from contacting her. In April 2022, Jane Doe moved from New York to Charlotte. Soon thereafter, Martini used texts, emails and social media platforms to send Jane Doe and her family members harassing messages and even death threats.

Martini pleaded guilty on Sept. 28, 2023, to cyberstalking, stalking, and communicating interstate threats.

Martini also created a public social media account in Jane Doe’s name and used a compromising photo of the victim as a profile picture. Court documents show that Martini threatened to publish sexual photos and videos of Jane Doe online and on popular social media websites if Jane Doe did not respond.

According to court documents, in May 2022, Martini sent Jane Doe emails in which he threatened to kill her, saying he would “cave her face in,” “leave her in a pool of blood” and kill her animals. Then, Martini traveled to Charlotte and attempted to kidnap Jane Doe.

Martini reportedly waited at Jane Doe’s apartment complex and attacked her as she walked up the stairs to her apartment. Martini then attempted to drag the victim to his car, but a bystander intervened, and Martini fled.

After the attack, Martini sent her an email threatening to kill her.

Court records show that Martini was convicted of stalking another female victim in 2018. In support of Martini’s 180-month sentence, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. cited Martini’s lengthy criminal history involving similar behavior, his inability to comply with previous terms of probation, and the need to protect the public from Martini.

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